[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1879 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1879

To resolve the claims of Cook Inlet Region, Inc., to lands adjacent to 
               the Russian River in the State of Alaska.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

            December 20 (legislative day, December 18), 2001

 Mr. Murkowski (for himself and Mr. Stevens) introduced the following 
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To resolve the claims of Cook Inlet Region, Inc., to lands adjacent to 
               the Russian River in the State of Alaska.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Russian River Land Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Certain lands adjacent to the Russian River in the area 
        of its confluence with the Kenai River contain abundant 
        archaeological resources of significance to the Native people 
        of the Cook Inlet Region, the Kenaitze Indian Tribe, and the 
        citizens of the United States.
            (2) Those lands at the confluence of the Russian River and 
        Kenai River contain abundant fisheries resources of great 
        significance to the citizens of Alaska.
            (3) Cook Inlet Region, Inc., an Alaska Native Regional 
        Corporation formed under the provisions of the Alaska Native 
        Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) 
        (hereinafter in this Act referred to as ``ANCSA''), has 
        selected lands in the area pursuant to section 14(h)(1) of such 
        Act (43 U.S.C. 1613(h)(1)), for their values as historic and 
        cemetery sites.
            (4) The United States Bureau of Land Management, the 
        Federal agency responsible for the adjudication of ANCSA 
        selection, has not finished adjudicating Cook Inlet Region, 
        Inc.'s selections under section 14(h)(1) of that Act as of the 
        date of the enactment of this Act.
            (5) The Bureau of Indian Affairs has certified a portion of 
        Cook Inlet Region, Inc.'s selections under section 14(h)(1) of 
        ANCSA as containing prehistoric and historic cultural 
        artifacts, and meeting the requirements of section 14(h)(1) of 
        that Act.
            (6) A portion of the selections under section 14(h)(1) of 
        ANCSA made by Cook Inlet Region, Inc., and certified by the 
        Bureau of Indian Affairs lies within the Chugach National 
        Forest over which the United States Forest Service is the 
        agency currently responsible for the administration of public 
        activities, archaeological features, and natural resources.
            (7) A portion of the selections under section 14(h)(1) of 
        ANCSA and the lands certified by the Bureau of Indian Affairs 
        lies within the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge over which the 
        United States Fish and Wildlife Service is the land managing 
        agency currently responsible for the administration of public 
        activities, archaeological features, and natural resources.
            (8) The area addressed by this Act lies within the 
        Sqilantnu Archaeological District which was determined eligible 
        for the National Register of Historic Places on December 31, 
        1981.
            (9) Both the Forest Service and the Fish and Wildlife 
        Service dispute the validity and timeliness of Cook Inlet 
        Region, Inc.'s selections under section 14(h)(1) of ANCSA.
            (10) The Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and 
        Cook Inlet Region, Inc., determined that it was in the interest 
        of the United States and Cook Inlet Region, Inc., to--
                    (A) protect and preserve the outstanding historic, 
                cultural, and natural resources of the area;
                    (B) resolve their disputes concerning the validity 
                of Cook Inlet Region, Inc.'s selections under section 
                14(h)(1) of ANCSA without litigation; and
                    (C) provide for the management of public use of the 
                area and protection of the cultural resources within 
                the Sqilantnu Archaeological District, particularly the 
                management of the area at the confluence of the Russian 
                and Kenai Rivers.
            (11) Legislation is required to enact the resolution 
        reached by the Forest Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, 
        and Cook Inlet Region, Inc.
  (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to ratify an agreement 
between the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Interior, 
and Cook Inlet Region, Inc.

SEC. 3. RATIFICATION OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES FOREST 
              SERVICE, UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, AND 
              COOK INLET REGION, INC.

  (a) Ratification of Agreement.--The terms, conditions, covenants, and 
procedures set forth in the document entitled ``Russian River Section 
14(h)(1) Selection Agreement'', which was executed by Cook Inlet 
Region, Inc., the United States Department of Agriculture, and the 
United States Department of the Interior on July 26, 2001 (hereinafter 
in this Act referred to as the ``Agreement''), are hereby incorporated 
in this section, and are ratified, as to the duties and obligations of 
the United States and the Cook Inlet Region, Inc., as a matter of 
Federal law. In the event any of the terms of the Agreement conflict 
with any other provision of law, the terms of the Agreement shall be 
controlling.
  (b) Authorization of Actions.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior are authorized to 
take all actions required under the terms of the Agreement.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATION.

  There is authorized to be appropriated to the Department of 
Agriculture, Office of State and Private Forestry, $13,800,000, to 
remain available until expended, for Cook Inlet Region, Inc., for the 
following:
            (1) Costs for the planning and design of the Joint 
        Visitor's Interpretive Center.
            (2) Planning and design of the Sqilantnu Archaeological 
        Research Center.
            (3) Construction of these facilities to be established in 
        accordance with and for the purposes set forth in the 
        Agreement.
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